Footings on Blasted Ledge and a Steel Beam Redesign in Barkhamsted, CT
Remote structural package for a new house on blasted granite in Barkhamsted. A compacted stone bed under the footings and three W16 beams.
Wall removals, decks, dormers, beams, additions, and inspections. A licensed CT engineer who inspects in person and walks you through the answer.
The Wall Guy provides licensed structural engineering for homes and small commercial buildings in Sherman and throughout Fairfield County. That covers load-bearing wall removals, decks and porches, dormers, beam and header sizing, additions, foundation evaluations, framing repair, and structural inspection letters. Travis Busch, P.E. (CT License #PEN.0038729) handles every project personally, from the site visit to the stamped letter.
Sherman is a rural Connecticut town with a population of approximately 3,527, situated in Fairfield County. Much of the housing stock in Sherman dates to the 1960s-1990s era, which shapes the types of structural work homeowners encounter today. Most homes feature wood-frame platform construction on poured concrete foundations. The most common home styles here are colonials, contemporaries, and lake houses. Engineers designing in Sherman must account for a ground snow load of 35 PSF and a frost depth of 42 inches. Both factor directly into beam sizing and foundation design here. Candlewood Lake cottages in Sherman originally built as seasonal homes are often converted to year-round residences with undersized structural members..
Sherman Building Department
9 Route 39 North, Sherman, CT 06784
Phone: 860-355-0166
Hours: Tue-Fri 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM & 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Connecticut state code requires a licensed Professional Engineer to design structural modifications including load-bearing wall removal. Contact the Sherman building department to confirm local permit requirements.
Homeowners in Sherman frequently encounter structural challenges tied to the area's housing stock. Candlewood Lake cottages in Sherman originally built as seasonal homes are often converted to year-round residences with undersized structural members.. Knowing these conditions before design starts is what a site visit is for.
Whether you're opening up a kitchen, adding a dormer or deck, or dealing with a foundation question, Travis provides on-site engineering assessments tailored to Sherman's housing stock and local code requirements.
Completed structural engineering work with the framing details, member sizes, and site findings from each job.
Remote structural package for a new house on blasted granite in Barkhamsted. A compacted stone bed under the footings and three W16 beams.
Plan set and structural letter for a 1988 ranch in Newington. One flush 16 in LVL carries the whole 21 ft ceiling line, on a post behind the fireplace.
A gutted timber frame in Bristol, sound where examined, its three 6x6 second-floor beams stripped of most of their partitions and about to lose a chimney.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Ground Snow Load | 35 PSF |
| Wind Speed | 105 MPH |
| Frost Depth | 42 inches |
| Applicable Code | IRC 2021 / IBC 2021 (CT amendments) |
The Wall Guy also serves homeowners and contractors in nearby communities including New Fairfield, New Milford, Kent, and Bridgewater. Every town in Connecticut gets the same on-site engineering service.
If the work is structural (removing a load-bearing wall, adding a dormer, changing framing, building a deck, or repairing a foundation) Connecticut requires PE-stamped engineering before the town issues a permit. Not sure whether your project counts? Call me and describe it. I'll tell you straight, even if the answer is that you don't need me.
We schedule the site visit for a time that works for you. The stamped letter typically follows within a few business days of the visit. On a tight schedule? Say so when you call and I'll tell you honestly whether I can hit it.
For a typical load-bearing wall removal, the stamped structural letter is one fixed price, quoted on the first call before any work starts, site visit included. Other projects (dormers, decks, additions, inspections) are quoted by phone after you describe the job. That price covers the job start to finish, including any revisions your building department asks for. Call (860) 519-6009 and describe your project.
Contact the Sherman Building Department at 860-355-0166 to confirm permit requirements for your project. Most structural work (wall removals, dormers, additions, deck framing) requires a building permit and a PE-stamped letter or plan, which I provide.
Yes. Sherman has a ground snow load of 35 PSF, which means beams, ridge members, and headers designed here must be sized to carry significant snow loads from the roof structure above. This is factored into every design I provide.
Call or text Travis at (860) 519-6009, or email travis@thewallguy.com. Describe the project in a sentence and you get one fixed price, quoted on the first call, before any work starts.